[TQY] Prologue

Adam

For a long time, we were at war with The Jackals. Now, finally, we’ve driven them off, and we’re left with this: a year of relative peace. One quiet year, with which to build our community up and learn again how to work together. Come Winter, the Frost Shepherds will arrive and we might not survive the encounter. This is when the game will end. But we don’t know about that yet. What we know is that right now, in this moment, there is an opportunity to build something.

Adam

Sketching Terrain

Before the game begins, we must establish some facts about the community and what its surroundings are like. We begin with a brief discussion (taking two minutes at most) of the general terrain and habitat of the area. This can be as simple as someone saying, “how about a community in a rocky desert?” and everyone else nodding in agreement. At this point, each of us should introduce one detail about the local terrain. When we introduce our detail, we then sketch our contribution onto the map. These sketches should be rough and simple, leaving lots of blank space for additions during play. The community itself should be fairly large on the map, perhaps occupying a third of the sheet. Unless otherwise stated, assume that our community has 60-80 members.

As an example, a group might decide to set their game in a forest. The first player introduces the detail: “Alright, the forest is full of young, spindly trees.” The next player adds, “And it’s nestled within a steep mountain range.” The third player adds, “We’ve taken up residence in an old mining camp.” The final player says, “And the trees in this area have all been clearcut.” As details are added, the players draw them on the map.

Everyone should introduce a detail and draw it on the map before proceeding.

We've already established this about the setting:
A failed Earth colony in a distant star system.
Colony on an Earth-like small moon.
Big Gas Giant in the sky, other moons come in and out of sight.
Single star, non-binary.
People.
Native "Alien" lifeforms.
Transplanted Earth lifeforms.
Some remnant tech from the colony, pre-collapse.

Drawing happens on the roll20.net whiteboard. Mischa, why don't you go first?

Edit: Just to get us going, went first.

Adam

The Starship

I added the location of the original colony ship that brought the people here — The SSV-05 — whose landing algorithms were unable to adjust for the turbulent climate, and ended up crash-landing way off course.

Mischa

Lichen-orchard

I've added the location of the main source of sustainable local food for the people, a GMO variety of lichen that is a true hybrid of Earth and alien life.

Adam

The Old Colony

I've added the location of the colony's original site — now a collection of (mostly) vacant buildings, constructed from salvaged materials from the ship, and near the lichen-orchard.

Mischa

Conjunction Point

I've added the location where you can best see the other planets orbiting above- periodically, this results in a perfect planet line-up, symbolizing the people's small place in the universe. This site is often used for important ceremonies or illicit teenage activity.

Adam

Wave Nets

I've added the location of the "Wave Nets" — a power generator that uses the turbulent waves of a nearby ocean. The power buoys can be seen lining the beach for miles.

Mischa

The Village

I've added the Village, the current home for most of the people. There are several huts and a few larger buildings. Buildings are made from local materials, woods and metals.

Adam

Resources

Next, we each declare an important resource for the community, something which we might have in either abundance or scarcity.

Some examples are:
• clean drinking water
• a source of energy
• protection from predators
• adequate shelter
• food

Choosing a resource makes it important, if it wasn’t already. If you pick ‘gasoline,’ it becomes something that your community wants and needs. As a group, we now choose one of those resources to be in Abundance. It gets listed on the index card under Abundances, and whoever called it now draws an abundance of this resource on the map. The other resources get listed as Scarcities, and the players who called them draw their absence or scarcity on the map somehow. Remember that symbols and symbolic representations are fine, but words should be avoided.

Have everyone declare a resource and decide which one is in Abundance. Update the map to reflect before proceeding.

Adam

I'm going to declare Power is a resource on the map.

Mischa

I declare Food is a resource.

Adam

I declare Fertility is a resource.

Mischa

I declare Knowledge as a resource.

Adam

We've decided Food is in Abundance.

Mischa

So Fertility, Knowledge, and Power are our Scarcities.